LEGISLATIVE BUDGET BOARD
Austin, Texas
FISCAL NOTE
75th Regular Session
April 27, 1997
TO: Honorable Harvey Hilderbran, Chair IN RE: House Bill No. 2498
Committee on Human Services By: Wise
House
Austin, Texas
FROM: John Keel, Director
In response to your request for a Fiscal Note on HB2498 ( Relating
to the regulation of certain child-care facilities and registered
family homes.) this office has detemined the following:
Biennial Net Impact to General Revenue Funds by HB2498-As Introduced
Implementing the provisions of the bill would result in a net
negative impact of $(284,930) to General Revenue Related Funds
through the biennium ending August 31, 1999.
The bill would make no appropriation but could provide the legal
basis for an appropriation of funds to implement the provisions
of the bill.
Fiscal Analysis
The bill would amend Chapter 42 of the Human Resources Code
to require the Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
(PRS) to search its central registry of child abuse and neglect
reports before issuing or renewing a child-care license, registration,
or certification. The central registry search must encompass
applicants, owners, and employees of a child-care facility or
family home. The effective date for the bill would be September
1, 1997.
Methodolgy
PRS currently searches the central registry before issuing a
license, registration, or certification to determine whether
the following persons have a history of child abuse or neglect:
1) the director and owner/operator of a child-care facility,
and 2) anyone over 14 years old in a family home. PRS does
not renew licenses, registrations, or certifications.
It
is assumed that PRS would issue 2,439 new child-care facility
licenses or certifications each year. It is also assumed that
the number of applicants, owners, and employees per facility
would range from 2.1 in a small foster family home to 30 in
a large child-care institution. These numbers do not include
directors and owner/operators whose history is already searched.
The
cost to search the central registry assumes that: 1) one FTE
could conduct 15,000 searches per year, 2) 2% of the searches
would result in a positive match requiring additional research,
and 3) 25% of the individuals with a positive match would request
a waiver or file an appeal.
The probable fiscal implications of implementing the provisions
of the bill during each of the first five years following passage
is estimated as follows:
Five Year Impact:
Fiscal Year Probable Change in Number
Savings/(Cost) of State
from General Employees from
Revenue Fund FY 1997
0001
1998 ($142,465) 3.4
1998 (142,465) 3.4
2000 (142,465) 3.4
2001 (142,465) 3.4
2002 (142,465) 3.4
Net Impact on General Revenue Related Funds:
The probable fiscal implication to General Revenue related funds
during each of the first five years is estimated as follows:
Fiscal Year Probable Net Postive/(Negative)
General Revenue Related Funds
Funds
1998 ($142,465)
1999 (142,465)
2000 (142,465)
2001 (142,465)
2002 (142,465)
Similar annual fiscal implications would continue as long as
the provisions of the bill are in effect.
No fiscal implication to units of local government is anticipated.
Source: Agencies: 530 Department of Protective and Regulatory Services
LBB Staff: JK ,BB ,NM